The taunting of flotilla activists by far-right Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has led to renewed calls for him to face EU sanctions.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he had asked the bloc's foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas to put sanctions on the agenda of the bloc's next meeting, scheduled for June 15.
Mr Tajani accused Mr Ben-Gvir of committing “unacceptable acts against the flotilla, seizing the activists in international waters and subjecting them to harassment and humiliation, in violation of the most basic human rights”.
The video of Israeli authorities’ treatment of flotilla protesters has “accelerated” the mood at EU level for action against Israel, Ireland’s Taoiseach Micheal Martin said. There was a "lot of anger” across the EU at the video of the Gaza aid flotilla protesters’ treatment, which he said had “shocked the world”.
More than 400 foreign activists were deported to Istanbul on Thursday before travelling on to their home countries.
Their deportation came one day after a video surfaced of Mr Ben-Gvir taunting them as they knelt, their blindfolded faces close to the floor and hands zip-tied behind their backs, after their arrest by Israeli forces.
This is the first time Italy has publicly called for sanctions against Mr Ben-Gvir at EU level, which requires unanimous backing from the bloc's 27 states. Italy has in the past generally blocked proposals by the European Commission for sanctions or restricted trade relations with Israel.
The move came after a chorus of condemnation of Mr Ben-Gvir's actions by EU nations. Several European leaders, as well as the UK, said they would summon their respective Israeli ambassadors.
Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel said Mr Ben-Gvir's behaviour reflected “a profound lack of respect, dignity and humanity among members of the government”.
“How long will we continue to tolerate this kind of behaviour from politicians?” he said.
The criticism of Israel's National Security Minister was echoed at the top of the Israeli government, with condemnation issued by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar.
Provocation
As the supervisor of Israel's system of imprisonment, Mr Ben-Gvir has boasted in the past of worsening the treatment of Palestinians in prison, and has conducted provocative visits to Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem.
He was also behind the adoption of a death penalty law aimed at Palestinians, which he celebrated by opening a bottle of champagne in the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in March.
But Mr Ben-Gvir's past provocations have not triggered as much international outrage as the taunting of Gaza-bound European activists.
With many Italians on the boat, Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was among the first in Europe to react and demanded an apology.
Others were more cautious. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and his Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meini-Reisinger condemned the flotilla activists and Mr Ben-Gvir.
Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said he was “grateful” to Mr Saar for also condemning Mr Ben-Gvir's behaviour, which he described as “fundamentally” contradicting “the values that Germany and Israel want to stand for together”.
Divided Europe
Alongside Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Mr Ben-Gvir has long been described as “extremist” in Brussels, but there has been little appetite to impose sanctions on the duo at EU level. It was a move suggested by the European Commission in September among several other proposals against Israel amid the Gaza war. They were all shelved the following month after a ceasefire was agreed on in Gaza.
Imposing sanctions on individuals requires unanimous backing from the EU's 27 states. It remains unlikely in the case of the two Israeli ministers. Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka on Wednesday vowed during a visit by Mr Saar to continue blocking any attempt at suspending, in part or in full, the EU-Israel Association Agreement.
Israel is in breach of the agreement, according to the EU's external action service, which found last year that its human rights clause had been broken in Gaza.
With decision-making blocked in Brussels, some EU members such as Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium, have moved forward unilaterally and banned Mr Ben-Gvir and Mr Smotrich from visiting their territory. Outside the EU, the UK, Norway, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have issued similar bans.
Another proposal tabled by the European Commission is to suspend preferential trade tariffs with Israel, which would lead to increased costs for it to export products to Europe. This would require a qualified majority vote, but faces Italian and German opposition.
At their last meeting in Brussels, the EU's 27 foreign ministers agreed to imposed sanctions on a handful of extremist Israeli settlers known for harassing Palestinians but they have yet to be named. This was the first time in more than two years such an agreement was made due to a previous Hungarian veto, which has been dropped after a change in government.
France and Sweden have called on the European Commission to focus on restricting trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. The commission has so far made no proposal.
Spain and Slovenia last year moved ahead unilaterally with a ban, highlighting an advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice calling on nations to abstain from economic or trade dealings with Israeli settlements.
Thomas Helm contributed to this report
